The Memphis Belle

 

On this day in 1943, after completing twenty-five combat missions over Western Europe from its base at RAF Bassingbourne, Cambridgeshire, England, Memphis Belle, a U.S. Army Air Forces Boeing B-17F-10-BO Flying Fortress, was flown home by Captain Robert K. Morgan and Captain James A. Verinis. Memphis Belle was only the second B-17 to survive twenty-five missions and was subsequently withdrawn from combat and sent back to the United States for a publicity tour. It is one of only three B-17F models remaining in existence. After a complete restoration in 2018, the plane was put on permanent display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.

Note: The B-17’s name was a reference to Captain Morgan’s girlfriend, Miss Margaret Polk, who lived in Memphis, Tennessee. The artwork painted on the airplane’s nose was a “Petty Girl” based on the work of pin-up artist George Petty of Esquire magazine. 

Reel Character Series

George Mathews (1911-84) was the burly tough guy of stage and film from the 1940s until retirement in 1972. Typically cast as a ruthless heavy in Western or crime films, he could also be a comic thug with more brawn than brains. He was a mainstay on television from the 1950s through the 1960s. When not roughing somebody up, he had single appearances on The Phil Silvers Show, and The Honeymooners situation comedies. Born in Manhatten, educated in Brooklyn, he tapped into "the accent" when needed.

The Cantankerous Housekeeper

Nora Marlowe was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1915. The hefty American character actress would often be cast as a maid, a nurse, or in a 19th-century setting. She appeared uncredited in a few notable films such as the gun-toting housekeeper in North by Northwest, I'll Cry Tomorrow and The Thomas Crown Affair. But it is her numerous television credits that are unfathomable, whether in a short scene or recurring roles like Law of the Plainsman, The Governor & J.J. and perhaps most famously as Flossie Brimmer, the boarding house owner on The Waltons from 1973 until her death in 1977. That same year, she played an uncompromising maid, Viola, on The Rockford Files (above). She would rearrange items in his trailer [logically] which he could never find. She became fed up with Rockford's messes after thugs repeatedly "rearranged" the trailer's interior. Jim was not all that disappointed when she gave him notice.

The Gem of Modern Industry

 

Catalin is a brand name for a thermosetting polymer developed and trademarked in 1927 by the American Catalin Corporation of New York City after the company acquired the patents for Bakelite. "The Gem of Modern Industry" according to period advertising, Catalin took things a step beyond Bakelite, making appealing plastics by adding color to a liquid resin that was cast in lead forms and allowed to slowly cool then polished to a fine sheen. This fact made Catalin more popular than other types of Bakelite for consumer products. Whereas Bakelite was used for items like insulators for electrical systems, black rotary dial telephones or handles on Deco-era toasters, Catalin was used for manufacturing colorful jewelry, clocks and radios that were labor-intensive processes cured with heat, then polished by hand into Art Deco designs. Like Bakelite, Catalin gives off a distinctive chemical odor when heated. Due to oxidation, older Catalin items darken in color and white discolors to yellow. This caused interesting effects in radio cabinets. Catalin items are widely collected today.

Note: The grips on actor John Wayne's iconic six-shooter, seen in every western from 1966 to 1969, were made of Catalin, not ivory, as often thought.

For Urban Congestion Sufferers

 

The Nebula concept by Oneobject provides freedom, speed, and agility. The Hong Kong-based design studio aims to revolutionize the urban transport scene that has become too cluttered for any larger vehicle. Having over a decade of experience in transportation, Oneobject has created Alpha and Beta rides, an electric motorbike for mid or long distances and a folding electric scooter for last-mile travel or short commutes. They both use hard and soft materials like polypropylene for the outer shell. The 3D-knitted fabric is waterproof, dirt-proof, and durable. Both rides offer keyless access via fingerprint authentication. 

Read more at Nebula.

Coast to Coast...Alaska to Mexico

 

Al and Bob Pelton of San Francisco, working as an appliance salesman and drug store clerk, respectively, had experienced potato-based doughnuts in Germany and they tried a number of things before creating a dry potato mix that worked and made it possible to franchise the concept. They coined the word "Spudnut" and went into business in 1940 in Salt Lake City. By 1946, the company began establishing a nationwide chain of Spudnut Shops. Over 300  sprung up across the USA and were advertised widely with the slogan "Coast to coast...Alaska to Mexico." Their cartoon character "Mr. Spudnut" frequently appeared in advertisements, coffee mugs, and even in parades. When the brothers retired and sold their company in 1968, as is often the case with multiple company buyouts, things went downhill from there. The final owner, Dakota Bake N Serve, sold all of their stock to a promoter in exchange for tax-free bond notes that proved worthless. When the promoter was convicted on several charges of fraud and conspiracy in 1979, it was the end of the Spudnuts chain. Spudnuts have not disappeared completely though the original recipe no longer exists. Quality can vary depending on location. 

A Noted Television Theme

 

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television. The series follows two secret agents working for an international counterespionage agency called the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. The first series to capitalize on the 007 gadget craze made stars of Robert Vaughn, the singular initial focus, and David McCallum, as a Russian agent. McCallum became so popular he was added as an UNCLE agent and the heartthrob for many teenage girls. Jerry Goldsmith wrote the theme, starting off with his trademark snare drums then a syncopated rhythm under a trumpet solo. By the end of the four-season series, the theme lost its intrigued with a trendy jazz arrangement. Here is the "clean" 1964 version.